Stony Brook Seawolves
American East (24-7, 14-2)
Stony Brook took home the America East regular season title for the third time in four years. Coach Steve Pikiell has another talented group on his hands that ended up going 14-2 in conference play. But this is also a pretty young team. Most of the players who played a major role on last year’s NIT team are long gone and now it is time for this group to make their mark.
Big Wins: 11/13 at Rider (54-46), 11/24 Canisius (82-75), 2/15 Vermont (65-48)
Bad Losses: 11/18 Sacred Heart (62-64), 1/18 at Vermont (73-81), 2/10 at Hartford (55-60)
Coach: Steve Pikiell (8 seasons at Stony Brook)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Seawolves win games with their defense. The opposition shoots just 37.5 percent from the floor. Only Kansas defends better than that. Making shots is tough enough against Stony Brook, but the opposition does not get that many shots off either. The frontcourt, most notably freshman Jameel Warney and swingman Tommy Brenton, rarely give up a rebound and the backcourt does not commit many turnovers. Warney and Brenton have also made their mark on the offensive end of the court. Warney, who stands 6-8, has surprisingly become a major offensive threat in the paint. Most expected that he would grab rebounds and swat away shots, but few expected him to lead the team with 12.1 points per game. Brenton is only 6-5, yet his tenacity on the glass is impressive. Brenton is a tough player who can do it all. He averages 8.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals. Even against a good defender, Brenton can find a way to turn it into a mismatch in his favor.
Why They Can Disappoint:
If the defense keeps doing what they have done all year, Stony Brook will need to rely on their offense to take them over the top and win a tournament game. Warney and Brenton can score around the basket, but Coach Pikiell will need Anthony Jackson and Dave Coley to help create opportunities and knock down some outside shots. Coley is an experienced scorer and Jackson is a quick guard, yet they have been extremely inconsistent when it comes to shooting the long ball. Jackson will take quite a few outside shots and they really need to fall now. Senior Marcus Rouse has spent all season coming in off of the bench, but that has worked quite well for Stony Brook. Rouse is easily the most consistent shooter on the team and the Seawolves can call on him to help spark the offense when nobody else is having any luck shooting the ball.
Probable Starters:
Anthony Jackson, Junior, Guard, 10.9 ppg, 1.8 apg
Dave Coley, Junior, Guard, 10.8 ppg, 1.4 apg, 4.2 rpg
Tommy Brenton, Senior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 4.7 apg
Eric McAlister, Junior, Forward, 4.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Jameel Warney, Freshman, Forward, 12.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Scott King, Freshman, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Anthony Mayo, Sophomore, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Carson Puriefoy, Freshman, Guard, 5.5 ppg, 1.1 apg
Marcus Rouse, Senior, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.1 (155th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 56.9 (12, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.1 (130, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.5 (5, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (194, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.1 (101, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.2 (112, 4)
Rebound Margin: 5.6 (32, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.3 (201, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.7 (75, 1)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 NIT First Round loss to Seton Hall
2010 NIT First Round loss to Illinois
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
